Water wheel bucket



Oct. 20, 1936. J. J. RING WATER WHEEL BUCKET Fi led Mag, 21, 1934Patented Oct. 20, 1936 PATENT OFFICE WATER WHEEL BUCKET Joseph J. Ring,Wauwatosa, Wis., assignor to Allis-Chalmers Manufacturing Company,Milwaukee, Wis.,,a corporation of Delaware Application May 21, 1934,Serial No. 726,699 4 Claims. (01. 253-114) This invention relates toimprovements in the construction of buckets for hydraulic turbinesof theimpulse type and more particularly tobuckets which are built up fromseveral elements rather than formed as an integral structure.

Heretofore the buckets of impulse hydraulic turbines were formed assingle units by processes such as casting by which the ellipsoidsforming the bucket itself and the means for attaching the bucket to therotor disc were formed at the same time. Such integral constructionhowever required a separate pattern for each type and size of bucket andeach bucket had to be separately cast. After casting, the buckets had to15 be annealed to relieve casting stresses and each bucket then had tobe separately finished. Such finishing required that the bucket bebalanced and also finished to obtain uniform weight distribution in eachbucket to avoid unbalance 20 stresses acting either centrifugally orlaterally.

It is readily apparent to even those not skilled in the art, that theabove process is uneconomic and must result both in lack of uniformityof the product and in high cost.

25 It is therefore among the objects of the present invention to providea bucket construction for impulse hydraulic turbines in which the bucketis assembled from a plurality of separably formed elements rather thanformed as an in- 30 tegral structure.

Another object of the invention is to provide a bucket construction forimpulse hydraulic turbines in which a bucket is built up from aplurality of elements which are each interchange- 35 able with similarelements.

Another object of the invention is to provide a bucket for impulsehydraulic turbines in which the bucket is built up from a plurality ofelements which are in substantially finished condition thus 40 avoidingextended finishing operations on the irregular outline structure formedby the bucket.

Another object of the invention isto provide a bucket construction forhydraulic turbines'of the impulse type in which the bucket is built upfrom a plurality of elements which can be separately replaced to avoidscrapping the entire bucket upon wearing out of one portion thereof.

impulse wheel bucket built up from a pluralityv 55 of separate elements;

. type.

- Fig. '2 is a side elevational view of the structur illustrated in Fig.1; and

. Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken on the plane III-III of Fig. 2to illustrate the arrangement of the elements receiving and retainingthe 5 ellipsoids forming the jet receiving portion of the bucket and toillustrate the manner in which the receiving and retaining portions areinterconnected.

Referringmore particularly to the drawing by characters of reference,the reference numerals 5 and 6 designate adjacent ellipsoids which arepreferably forged or stamped from a single piece of sheet material suchas boiler plate and which form the jet receiving portion of a bucketconstruction for a hydraulic turbine of the impulse Due to theconstruction of the ellipsoids from sheet material, it may be diificultto secure a properly shaped jet divider or splitter at the intersectionof the surfaces of the ellipsoids. If a sharpened and extendedsplitter-is required, a separate knife shaped member I is suitablysegurec; in the ellipsoids as shown in section in The ellipsoids are setinto and retained within a retaining structure or holder which may betermed a reinforcement, preferably formed from separate elements. Themajor elements of the holder are plates 8 and 9 which are cut out toreceive the ellipsoids. The plates 8 and 9 extend about the ellipsoidsin a direction substantially parallel with the greater axis thereof andextend rearwardly from the ellipsoids to provide means for engaging therotor disc (not shown) to which the plates are to be secured by suitablemeans employing the apertures formed therein. The plates 8, 9 are spacedby a bracing member ll extending from the outer convex surface of theellipsoids, at approximately the midpoint thereof, downwardly andrearwardly between and in contact with the plates. The plates 8, 9 andthe brace II are joined by suitable means such as welding, bolting orriveting. The forward edge of the plates and the portions thereofadjacent the rear portion of the ellipsoids are joined by substantiallysemi-circular straps l2 and 13 to which the ellipsoids are attached bysuitable means. The upper edge portions of the ellipsoids between theplates 8, 9 are secured to a plate M which is suitably attached to the 7plates 8, 9 and extends therebetween. The semicircular straps I2, l3 arefurther stiffened by arc shaped straps I6 and I! which extend fromapproximately the center section of the straps I2, [3 about theellipsoids and extend into contact with the plates 8, 9 to which theyare attached. The several elements of the holder are thus formed andjoined in such manner as to form a basket-like structure into which theellipsoids are set and in which such ellipsoids are retained.

From the above it will be apparent that the several elements of thebucket are separately formed from plates or sheet material which iscommercially manufactured to close limits and in highly finished form.The probabilities of deviation of weight in any number of the severalelements are accordingly very slight thus eliminating the necessity forfinishing of the completed structure to remain within predeterminedweight limits. The several portions are produced in quantities bymachine and are already in highly finished condition and require onlysuch finishing asmay be desired from the view point of appearance. Anyone of the portions may be removed from a completed structure and bereplaced without damage to'the other portions thereof thus greatlyreducing maintenance cost. The ellipsoids are firmly retained in theholder which is stayed and braced by the reinforcement, in everydirection in which forces act thereon. The ellipsoids themselvestherefore need be made only heavy enough to withstand corrosion anderosion because the forces tending to deform them are taken up by thevarious elements of the holder. Such elements are sufficiently uniformin shape to render calculation of the strength thereof relativelysimple.

Although but one embodiment of the present invention has beenillustrated and described, it will be apparent to those skilled in theart that various changes and modifications may be made therein withoutdeparting from the spirit of the invention or from the scope of theappended claims.

portion thereof.

It is claimed and desired to secure by Letters Patent:

1. A built up bucket for hydraulic turbines of the impulse typecomprising jet receiving ellipsoids, and a reinforcement, for saidellipsoids, and comprising members respectively engaging a substantialportion of the edges of said ellipsoids, and extending transversely ofand engaging the bottoms of said ellipsoids.

2. A built up bucket for hydraulic turbines of the impulse typecomprising a plurality of joined jet receiving bowls of substantiallyellipsoidal form, and a holder for said bowls forming a reinforcementcomprising members extending around the periphery of said bowls from oneend of the jet entering portion thereof to the other end of the jetentering portion thereof and members respectively extending along theconvex surface and longitudinally of said bowls from the jet enteringedge of the bucket to and beyond the opposite edge thereof to serve aslugs for attaching the buckets.

- 3. A built up bucket for hydraulic turbines of the impulse typecomprising a plurality of joined jet receiving bowls of substantiallyellipsoidal form, and a reinforcementcomprising a member extendingaround the periphery of said bowls from one end of the jet enteringportion thereof to the other end of the jet entering portion thereof.

4. A built up bucket for hydraulic turbines of the impulse typecomprising a plurality of joined jet receiving bowls of substantiallyellipsoidal form, and a reinforcement comprising members respectivelyext-ending along the convex surface and longitudinally of said bowls,transversely of said bowls, and around the periphery of each of saidbowls from one end of the jet entering portion thereof to the oppositeend of the'jet entering JOSEPH J. RING.

